Need You Now
by LukeAndLorelai Brucas Fan
Summary: Set about ten years before "A Change Would Do You Good" All she knew was the movie was set in a small town, and there was a love story of sorts, which got her thinking of home and him. Lorelai calls Luke and they breathe.


AN. Hey there! Remember me? That's ok if you don't I have been gone for a long time. But I'm back now with the first of many (if I can convince my imagination and the words in my head to cooperate) prequels to "A Change Would Do You Good. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

"Hello?"

There was silence on the other end and for a moment he wondered if he had imagined the phone ringing in the middle of the night, maybe it had been a part of his dreams.

"Hello?" he asked again, just to be sure, rubbing his eyes and pressing the phone closer to his ear. Luke glanced at the alarm clock beside his bed.

One-fifteen a.m.

"Is there anyone there?"

Only then did he hear it – breathing – slightly ragged, but it was definitely there. And although he knew it was the least likely thing in the world, he couldn't stop himself from asking the next question.

"Lorelai… Is that you?"

To anyone else the sound would have been unnoticeable, but Luke was willing to stake everything he owned on the fact that there was a slight hitch in the caller's breathing.

"Are you ok?" he asked, certain he was now on the phone to Lorelai Gilmore. "Where are you?"

She didn't say anything, she wasn't going to say a word, of that he was also certain. It had been almost three years since he had spoken to Lorelai and close to two since he'd heard anything about her at all, he didn't really think they'd be having a very lively discussion just yet.

Straining his ear for any clue as to where she was, or the possibility of hearing something from Rory, Luke noticed, in addition to the sirens in the background, which corroborated Sookie's claim that she had been in New York, the last time they spoke, that her breathing seemed to even out after a few moments as well.

Trying to keep a lid on all the emotions that arose whenever Lorelai Gilmore entered his mind, Luke closed his eyes and just took one breathe after the other.

"Ok…" He muttered. "It's ok,"

*** A few minutes earlier in New York ***

Halfway through a bottle of cheap crappy beer and some movie she couldn't even remember the name of, Lorelai picked up the phone and dialled from memory, not taking into account the possibility that he might have moved out or that they could have changed the number, or that she might wake the entire household.

All she knew was the movie was set in a small town, and there was a love story of sorts, which got her thinking of _home_ and _him_.

It was after midnight, her five year old daughter was sleeping soundly clutching a stuffed elephant and Lorelai had permitted herself one beer.

Apparently that was all it took these days to follow through on stupid decisions, because she was a little drunk and she couldn't stop it. She'd had to make the call. And now she could hear Luke's voice, thick with sleep, saying her name.

That sound literally took her breathe away.

The questions came quickly then – _are you ok? _And _where are you?_

She opened her mouth to reply but found she had no voice. For a few seconds she wondered if she had actually used up all the words allotted to her in her lifetime, but then a much more practical reason came to her – this was _Luke_ and she just didn't know where to start.

He told her it was ok and although she would have liked to think he meant it was all ok, everything was forgiven, she knew that was wrong.

And if she couldn't speak and explain, it never would be.

But he was still on the line.

He was breathing in and out, a little unevenly at first, but then he seemed to get a hold of himself and they both just sat with the phone to their ear, breathing.

It seemed like hours passed while she sat there, but Lorelai had a feeling that was mostly the emotion combining with the beer and clouding her judgement. She eventually closed her eyes, still holding the phone tightly, and bit her lip. Squeezing her eyes shut tight so she wouldn't have to see it happening, she put the phone down.

Choking back a sob, she turned her eyes back to the TV to see the credits roll and switched it off, realising that no matter the plot of the movie, whatever melodramatic problems the characters were having and how they solved them, they weren't going to help her now anymore than they had earlier in night.

*** Back in Stars Hollow ***

Luke heard the click and felt his heart sink.

The closest contact he'd had with Lorelai in all these years had been broken and he was sure that another one wouldn't be made for a long time to come.


End file.
